Well, I have to go in it open-minded too. Just coming back from injury and having to take a step back from running the miles that I'm used to running because of life these past few weeks,I'll be happy to finish with a smile. Its a tough hilly course. I have to chill and have fun too!
Running is my mental-Ctrl-Alt-Del.
I pace or find some oddball race that is not a pr friendly race only way I have done it. I paced the 2 hour half group in January and been doing the Hostess halves where you have to eat sugary goodness at every aid station. Otherwise I try and go all out, its tough for me to lay back hence why I like pacing forces me to do so (pacing another half in March).
Great way of looking at it.
Damaris
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Races can be a paradox of sorts. I always want to do my best, but on the other hand it's no big deal if I don't hit a certain time. If someone outkicks me, I'm happy for them, not angry at myself.
Running is a thing that I really enjoy and spend too much time on to be negative about races. Just run the race that you can currently run, don't sweat a magic number.
I do the best I can with what I am working with in any given race. I've raced sick and I've raced injured knowing that my times were going to be less than my best, but I always give the maximum amount I have to give at the time. In these instances I can let go of the time pretty quickly. The exception to this is races I've run to help other people through. Then it's not about me.
I tend to get more worked up over "almosts" such as missing going under 4:20 for the marathon by 12 seconds or under 26 for the 5k by 2 seconds. Those seconds really get to me and I tend to relive the race to see where I could have shaved them off.
You Rang?
I'm with Docket. Every time I put on a bib, I have a goal and a plan. Sometimes a PR is not in the plan.
My last half marathon (the Walt Disney World Half Marathon) was not a PR race. The WDW Half was a half of a day in the middle of a seven day Disney World vacation with the wife and the kid. I didn't want to hurt myself and ruin the rest of the vacation by spending it in the hotel room with an ice pack strapped to a body part. The plan at WDW was to run a moderately fast race, cross the finish line uninjured, and enjoy the rest of my time at the house of mouse with my family. Mission accomplished.
Rick
PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)
My running club posts our race times which is nice. I think that publishing prevents some people from racing if they aren't 100%. I run them if I signed up regardless as I'm rarely 100%, and if there is little chance of re-injury. I do have expectations for every race. If I get disappointed in a time, it is usually because of weather.
Skirt Runner
The next 2 weekends may be an interesting exercise for me in participating in races where the goal is not to PR or even run all-out. I too am coming back from an injury and taking it slow. I am registered for a 5K next weekend in which my goals are: run in a new part of the city that I likely would not have ever visited or run in otherwise, enjoy the company of several friends, enjoy the atmosphere- there will be live bands on the course, plus it is St Patrick's Day themed so it should be a ton of fun. Sometimes races prevent bordem by getting you out of your usual routine and route and that's sometimes enough of a goal. And next weekend I have a 3 mile run on the schedule and I had planned and I had been looking forward to doing it in a specific park. Well I just found out there is a 4 mile race in the park that morning. So my choices are: don't run in the park, wait until the race clears out, or enter the race. If I do the last option I would walk/jog the first mile and then run the last 3. And the point of it would strictly be convenience as I wanted to run in the park that morning and the race would either get in the way of my plans or becone part of my plans, and I love pinning on a bib!
PRs: 5K- 28:16 (5/5/13) 10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13) 4M- 41:43 (9/7/13) 15K- 1:34:25 (8/17/13) 10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14) HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14) Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)
I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to
Barking Mad To Run
Ok. So I'm a bit bipolar with my running as mentioned in my previous thread, I've got a race coming up in a few weeks and I'm already putting pressure on myself to run a certain pace. I need to relax and stop being so competitive. Why do I do this to myself. How do you run races for fun and not get upset if you don't run a certain time? I need to chill out. Lol.
Well, in my case, you get old, and get enough arthritis in your body so you can't run fast! Then you just have no choice but to do everything as a fun run. For me, running is all about attitude and trying to stay positive, no matter what happens. If you can't do it one way, then you find a way that does work for you. If something happens along the way - and believe me, I've had a LOT of somethings happening to me over my running years, lol - you just keep your sense of humor about it, laugh at yourself, readjust, and then keep on going. Where running is concerned that old adage about turning lemons into lemonade really is true, it definitely helps you mentally. No matter how bad it gets sometimes, I always try and find something out there on the course that will make me smile or laugh.
Maybe set yourself 2 - 3 time goals for the race, I know lots of people that do this. They say "Okay, here is my "dream time" that I'd really like to finish in. But if something happens when I get out there (e.g., I'm not feeling it, or I get a pain or cramp or something, etc), then here is my alternate finish time that I'd be happy with. And if worse comes to worse, than my goal will be just to finish."
You had your plan, you trained, you're ready. Now all you can do is shoot for your goal(s) and if it doesn't work out for that day, it just wasn't your day, there will be other days. So learn from the experience, regroup, and plan to try again. And then go get a post-race beer/drink.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt
Thanks Scotty. I loved everything about this post.
Well, in my case, you get old, and get enough arthritis in your body so you can't run fast! Then you just have no choice but to do everything as a fun run. For me, running is all about attitude and trying to stay positive, no matter what happens. If you can't do it one way, then you find a way that does work for you. If something happens along the way - and believe me, I've had a LOT of somethings happening to me over my running years, lol - you just keep your sense of humor about it, laugh at yourself, readjust, and then keep on going. Where running is concerned that old adage about turning lemons into lemonade really is true, it definitely helps you mentally. No matter how bad it gets sometimes, I always try and find something out there on the course that will make me smile or laugh. Maybe set yourself 2 - 3 time goals for the race, I know lots of people that do this. They say "Okay, here is my "dream time" that I'd really like to finish in. But if something happens when I get out there (e.g., I'm not feeling it, or I get a pain or cramp or something, etc), then here is my alternate finish time that I'd be happy with. And if worse comes to worse, than my goal will be just to finish." You had your plan, you trained, you're ready. Now all you can do is shoot for your goal(s) and if it doesn't work out for that day, it just wasn't your day, there will be other days. So learn from the experience, regroup, and plan to try again. And then go get a post-race beer/drink.
Ultra Cowboy
NGU, Scotty certainly has a well-reasoned post. What found last year was I was burned out after a tough 50k (my first). I "paced" my friend's girlfriend in a 5k, while he ran the 10k. I knew it was going to be slower than I would push myself to run solo, and a great deal shorter than I could run. I had a blast.
WYBMADIITY
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Well I'm going to do my best for whatever it is that day. I'm going to start slow and pick it up as I go. Its a huge race and gets pretty crowded. Over 4,000 runners and its really hard to PR on this course anyway. After my run today, I know I'm definitely not in "race" shape. I'll be glad to participate.